Multimedia content and other data is typically delivered over a communication network to devices. For example, real time content may include video, audio, closed captioning, overlay information and any other suitable information for rendering on a device. Such networks are typically Internet Protocol (IP) networks that use protocols designed for a wide range of applications and may not provide the most efficiency delivery of certain types of content.
To facilitate the delivery of content, such as real time content, specialized broadcast networks are used where overhead information is minimized and network protocols are implemented that are customized to the task. Thus, these specialized networks are able to deliver content more efficiently than typical IP based networks. For example, in a specialized broadcast network, header information may be reduced or compacted and information may be prioritized so as to increase delivery efficiency, bandwidth utilization, and reduce latency. As a result, these specialized broadcast networks operate to deliver real time content without interruptions or delays to produce a satisfactory user experience.
Unfortunately, such specialized networks may not be compatible with typical IP applications (such as Web browsers) which utilize IP based addressing and other IP protocols to access content. For example, IP applications access content on an IP network using an [address:port] identifier that identifies the location of the content on an IP network. However, these content identifiers may have no meaning in a specialized broadcast network where the protocols have been optimized for content delivery.
Therefore, what is needed is a mechanism for use on a device to allow IP based applications to obtain content in a quick and efficient manner from Non-IP based networks, such as specialized broadcast networks.